Delivered as Promised

Area gets about 6 inches of snow

Main Street was quiet Friday afternoon as the snowfall began to accumulate. A winter storm warning remained in effect until 7 a.m. today. (Staff photo by Seth Grundhoefer/sgrundhoefer@madisoncourier.com)

Parade begins at noon

Madison's Very Merry Christmas Parade has been delayed until noon today.

Organizers announced the changes around 6 p.m. Friday. Andrew Forrester, community relations assistant to the mayor, said the event was delayed to allow street crews more time to clear roads - for travelers and the parade route.

The parade will travel along Main Street starting at Jefferson Street and ending at Mill Street.

Forrester said if a state of emergency is in effect at the time of the parade, it will be canceled.

The parade lineup will begin at 10 a.m. and all participants need to be in place by 11:15 a.m. The event includes more than 40 entrants and is expected to last about an hour.

A winter storm lived up to its billing Friday, blanketing Madison and the surrounding area with layers of ice and more than six inches of snow at some locations.

With sleet and ice already on the roadways, snowfall began at about 1 p.m. in the Courierarea and continued steadily throughout the day.

By 8 p.m., the storm had dumped more than six inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service, but the winter storm advisory remained in effect until 7 a.m. today.

All area schools and school activities were closed or canceled Friday, as highway crews worked to stay ahead of the falling snow. The city of Madison began sending out plows and street crews for road treatment at 1:30 a.m. Friday.

By early afternoon, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security issued a travel watch for numerous Indiana counties, including Jefferson and Scott. A travel watch means conditions are threatening to public safety and only essential travel, such as to and from work or in emergency situations, is recommended.

Dave Bell, the county emergency management director, said late Friday that he didn't expect the watch to be upgraded to a more serious level, adding that crews had been out all day clearing roadways.

"We're still out here and monitoring it, but we don't foresee any changes," Bell said of the travel advisory.

Local law enforcement reported several slide-off and property damage accidents in the early afternoon when visibility